Baked Eggs and Braised Collard

This book was sent to us a few weeks ago by the publisher. This recipe caught my eye, because it is a nice change for Collards to be used in a dish like this. Although tomatoes are not in season, you can buy canned roasted tomatoes. I would suggest at least one large can for this recipe, as it does serve 6.

1 TB Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 oz Shitake Mushrooms; discard stems, finely dice caps (3/4 cup)

Fine Sea Salt

3/4 cup Heavy Cream

1 to 2 sprigs fresh Thyme

2 TB unsalted Butter

1/2 small to medium Red Onion, finely chopped

1 Garlic clove, minced

1 bunch Collard Greens; remove stems and ribs, slice leaves thinly

Freshly ground Black Pepper

Roasted Tomatoes

6 Large Eatwell Farm Eggs

Preheat oven to 350 F. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mushrooms become golden on the edges and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the cream and thyme. Bring the mushrooms and cream to a simmer, then remove the pan from the heat. Carefully transfer the mixture to a liquid measuring cup or a small bowl with a pour spout. Let it stand to steep for at least 10 minutes and up to 1 hour, then remove the thyme sprig. Meanwhile, melt 1 TB of the butter in a deep sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring for 1 minutes. Add the collards, a little at a time, if needed to fit the pan. Add 1/4 tsp of salt and 1/8 tsp of pepper and cook, turning the collards with tongs, until just starting to wilt, about 1 minute. Add 1/3 cup of water, cover the pan and cook on medium-low heat until greens are tender, 5 minutes. Uncover pan and continue to cook until remaining water evaporates. Add remaining 1 TB of butter and cook, turning collards in the butter until it is well distributed, about 1 minute. Divide collards evenly among six 6-oz ramekins. Lift mushrooms from the cream with a slotted spoon, leaving most of the cream in the bowl, and divide evenly among the ramekins, spreading them over the collards. Spoon 1 TB of the infused cream into each ramekin. Cut roasted tomatoes into quarters and place 4 quarters in each ramekin. Crack 1 egg into each ramekin (being careful not to break the yolk), lightly season each with salt and pepper. Pour another teaspoon of infused cream over each egg. Place ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet or in a shallow baking pan and bake, rotating the pan halfway through. Cooking until the whites are just set and the yolks are still runny, 15 to 20 minutes, or until whites are just firm and the yolks are almost hard 20 to 25 minutes. The eggs will continue to cook after they come out of the oven. Serve immediately. You can also use kale, chard or mustard greens in place of collards.